Travel Awards

Every year a number of travel awards are made available for current (dues paid before abstract submission and meeting registration) student (undergraduate and graduate) and postdoctoral members of SDB who need assistance to offset their travel expenses to SDB annual meetings. The number of awards and the amount for each award will depend on distance to be traveled, amount of support from home institution/lab/advisor, the total number of applications received, and available funding. All applicants must be the first and presenting author of an abstract submitted for the annual meeting and in good standing with SDB membership. Notification of awards will be in May.

Dr. Paul D. Henion (1963 – 2014) was a developmental biologist who studied neural crest biology using zebrafish as a model. This travel award was established to honor his memory and provides $500 travel assistance to the Society for Developmental Biology Annual Meeting for post-candidacy graduate students who have demonstrated research excellence in any area of developmental biology and are giving an oral or poster presentation at the meeting. SDB membership is required and special consideration may be given to students doing research in neural crest or stem cell biology. The number of awards will depend on funds available and may vary from year to year. Applicants must submit a cover letter (1 page or less), CV, their submitted abstract, and a letter of recommendation from their advisor. Notification of awards will be in May.

This merit-based International Scholarship Program was established in 2015 for students, postdocs, and faculty from foreign institutions (e.g. outside USA and Canada) with very limited financial resources. This International Scholarship replaces the Latin American-Caribbean scholars program that ran from 2000-2015. SDB membership is not a requirement, but all other things being equal, preference will be given to SDB members over non-members. Student and postdoc candidates must be first authors of the abstract submitted for the meeting. Selection criteria for scholarships are based on: (1) scientific soundness of the study as described in the abstract; (2) financial need, including availability of other support, e.g. from the advisor and/or home institution; (3) letter of recommendation from your advisor (students and postdocs only). Each scholarship carries a cash value of $2,000 (USD), to be used to defray meeting expenses. Recipients will be notified by the end of May.

This program whose aim is to provide modest travel assistance for faculty at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUI) or teaching departments at research universities to present their research and/or education papers, has now expanded to include junior (pre-tenure) faculty from any institution. Applicants must be current (membership dues paid before abstract submission and meeting registration) SDB members and authors of a submitted abstract. This abstract may be of their own or their student's work. Recipients will be notified in May.

Underrepresented student and postdoctoral SDB members in good standing who are attending the SDB 77th Annual Meeting are now eligible for FASEB Mentored Poster/Platform Presenter Awards. First-time and returning attendees who commit to fulfill the Mentee requirements below may apply:

Mentee must participate in mentored programs at the meeting: First-time Attendee Orientation, Theme Table Luncheon, SDB Board of Directors’ Reception for Trainees (Awardee attendance will be verified at these sessions).

Mentee must meet with the designated Mentor in advance and review/rehearse presentation.

Mentee must be the first author and presenter of an abstract at the meeting.